Frodo's Journey
by Galathilion
Summary: This is a story about what happens after Frodo leaves Middle Earth. I have updated...sort of. I added a new chapter 2, and the other chapters are modified quite a bit, so those readers whom my story previously attracted might wanna reread! Thanx!
1. Chapter 1

Frodo's Journey

          The dark waves rocked the large, magnificent ship back and forth in an uneven rhythm, causing the Phial that Frodo held aloft to weave between the folds of the night sky. He gazed back eastward across the docile movement of the waters, struggling for some last glimpse of the only home he had ever known. But the smooth sandy shoreline had already vanished from view, obscured by layers of swirling grey mist. A few tears trickled down his face as he thought of his friend Sam's wife Rosie and their child Elanor. He would never get to see Elanor's first steps, or hear her first word. He would not be there to see the births and lives of Sam's many other children that had yet to be born. And Pippin and Merry would come of age and live their lives out in the rustically beautiful, blissfully innocent Shire, but he would not be able to share it with them. Immersed in these sad thoughts, he stood long upon the stern, and tears coursed freely over his cheeks, falling to mingle with the salty waters of the Sea.

Gandalf came up behind him and patted him on the shoulder. "I know it is hard, Frodo, but you will see Sam again." he comforted. 

"I know that. I just miss Rosie…and little Elanor..." Frodo replied, choking back a sob. "Rosie is so kind to little Elanor, and Sam loves them both so much. I don't think he could be any happier. And Elanor… oh, she is so beautiful with her golden hair…" he trailed off, his throat too constricted and his vision too blurred to continue. 

"It seems that little Elanor was named very appropriately," chuckled Gandalf. "I wasn't even allowed the privilege of living with them!" Frodo laughed with his old friend and put the Phial back in his pocket. He wiped the tears from his cheek and swayed a little as the movement of the boat caught him off balance. Gandalf caught him around the waist and set him down gently on the gleaming wooden deck. 

It was then, as Frodo looked about him, that he noticed the singing. It wasn't like the sounds of waves lapping peacefully against the sides of the ship, and it wasn't the wind. It was beautiful singing, and it made one feel as if one were hearing a voice from long ago floating down through the years. "What is that singing I hear, Gandalf? Is it the Elves? I have never heard them sing so well!" exclaimed Frodo in wonder.

"That is no Elf you hear, my dear hobbit! That is the Lord of the Oceans himself, or one of his minions, perhaps Uinen. Yes, it has been long since I heard her singing, but I believe it is she!" Gandalf replied with excitement.

"Are there words?" asked Frodo, feeling a bit overwhelmed. "And who is Uinen? I have heard of Ulmo, Lord of Oceans, but never of Uinen. Is she his spouse?"

"Oh no, she is the spouse of Osse, and she lays calm to the waves when they are tossed about by his wrath. Osse holds dominion over all the seas of the world." Gandalf laughed, suddenly merrier than Frodo had ever seen him. "Oh, my dear hobbit, we're going home, to my homeland! Oh, Nienna, how I miss our long talks! And the gardens of Lorien, where all can find rest and healing, and all is ever green!" Lost in old memories, he gazed westward, many creases in his old face gone with the worry that had caused them.

Frodo sat then in wonder and hearkened to the words of Uinen, and all his fears of the Sea were calmed. For he found suddenly that he did not need Gandalf to translate her song, for the song was like those of the Elves, which even those who speak not the Elvish tongue can still somehow understand.

Fear not the Sea 

_While your journey lasts_

_For it will bear you safe_

_Across its surface to the land_

_From whence you came_

_The little lakes_

The rivers and streams 

_Are but fingers of the sea_

_And they lay calm as you pass_

_You fear them not, do ye?_

_Fear not the Sea_

_While your journey lasts_

_For it will bear you safe_

_Across its surface to the land_

_From whence you came_

There was more, but Frodo had already been lulled to sleep by the gentle words and the beautiful voice. He wandered for a time in dreams of his youth, his adventures and doings before Bilbo left. He saw once again Pippin and Merry as they crept into Farmer Maggot's field for some of his prized mushrooms, and were chased away by his dogs. Sam was there, trimming the grass in the yard and coaxing the flowers up the trellis throughout the course of the spring. Ah, the good old times. We all miss them, don't we?


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: This chapter is new. Please read!

Frodo's Journey-Chapter 2

            Sam watched with a great sadness and loneliness as the Light that Frodo held faded away into the dark of night. The gray mists swirled lazily like curtains hiding his master from him. The poor gardener felt that if he could only figure out how to pull them back, he would catch another glimpse of the hobbit who had been his best friend for so many years. His eyes became blurred, and tears coursed down his face like the Falls of Rauros. Sam tried to hold them back, but when he found he could not, he began to sob outright. Memories coursed through his mind, as numerous as the tears trickling down his face. Memories of the kind hobbit who had hired him as a gardener before they went on the Quest, memories of Moria and Mordor, Rivendell and Lothlorien, battles fought both inside and out during their long journey, and memories of the peaceful years afterward all came flooding through the hobbit with enough force to make him sway. It would be years before Sam could laugh over those memories, cry over them, share them with the best and most trustworthy friend he had ever had.

            Suddenly the hobbit felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder, steadying and comforting at the same time. Sam turned to find he was staring into Merry's saddened countenance, concern etched on his features. Pippin stood behind him, Merry's anxiety reflected in his own face. _They're my friends too,_ Sam thought to himself. _They're still here, and we can all help each other get through this._ Yet in his heart, Sam knew that there were still many things he could not share with the youngsters. They just wouldn't understand; they were too young and had not experienced the same things Sam had. They had not gone into Mordor, had not watched Frodo, burdened with the Ring, head bowed and strength gone; they had not carried Frodo up the last stretch to the Cracks of Doom, only to watch him claim the Ring as his own.

            The tears, which had nearly stopped before, came back even stronger. "Come on Sam. Let's go home." suggested Merry. "We all need a good rest, and you have a family to get back to." Sam said nothing, but allowed himself to be hoisted back up onto his pony. Merry and Pippin mounted their steeds, Sam managed to clear his sight enough to guide his pony back to the road, and they started home.

            By the time the trio reached the crossroads at which they were forced to part, Sam had calmed himself enough to be able to go on home alone. Merry and Pippin were singing and putting on a show of being happy, though Sam knew in his heart that they were only trying to cheer him up. He mumbled a goodbye to them and turned home, reveling in the silence of his thoughts and the cloaking darkness.

            Somehow he ended up at the door of Bag End, and the warm yellow candles that he could see burning in the windows were a comforting sight. Sam dismounted his pony and led it to the stables, giving it food and water for the night. Then the hobbit trudged up the walk to his home and pulled open the large round door, flooding the porch with light. Rosie greeted him with a gentle hug. Sam smiled down at his wife, but it was a forced smile, and Rosie saw this. She guided him to his favorite chair and he collapsed wearily into it.

            Rosie brought him Elanor to cheer him up, and he cuddled the babe lovingly. She reached up with a tiny fist and punched him on the nose. Husband and wife laughed together, and Sam's spirits lifted. "Well," he said, his first words since he had arrived. "I'm back."


	3. Chapter 3

Frodo's Journey-Chapter Two

          Frodo awoke to the music of the Elves as they lifted up their voices in song, praising Elbereth and the stars, which are ever in their hearts. He knew only a few words of the Elvish language, and yet understood it just as if it were in the Common Tongue. It was night now, and Gandalf had long since left Frodo to his rest. The Elves were engaged in a mixture of singing, dancing, listening, and dreaming, combining the living world and the realm of dreams as Elves do. Frodo caught sight of Bilbo off to the side, sitting on a pile of silver rope, with his back up against a glimmering, white-washed wall. His white hair was tousled and ruffled by the wind's roving hand, and his face seemed a bit drawn and pale. Fearing for his uncle's health, he decided to go and sit by the old hobbit until Bilbo woke up. He settled down with his own back against the wall, staring up at the black night sky dotted with silver stars. His young hand, creased with many weeks of hard toil and stress only partially smoothed out by a few years at home, entwined in the elderly hobbit's yellowed, time-coarsened hand. The Elvish singing mingled with the song of the Sea until they became one peaceful, soothing melody that almost made Frodo fall asleep again.

He was awakened from a short doze by Bilbo's hand tightening around his own. The old hobbit opened his eyes slowly, taking in the scene around him one step at a time, then stretched to relieve his cramped muscles. "My dear Frodo! How good to see you!"

Frodo turned to his elderly uncle, saying "Good evening, Bilbo, it's nice to see you as well. You look a little down in the weather, though."

"Oh, I suppose I always look a little down in the weather these days. But how did you get here?" Bilbo said, puzzled. Frodo was about to answer him when Bilbo spoke again. "Oh yes, that's right, Queen Arwen let you come, after that affair with the Ring. My my, that was quite a bit of trouble for my little old ring to cause. By the way, where did you get that pretty white light that you held up as we left?" 

"The Lady Galadriel gave it to me, Uncle." replied Frodo gently. 

"Ohhhh yes…well, it will be nice to have another hobbit along, someone to talk, well, hobbit talk with. I wonder where Gandalf got to? I saw him talking with you over there, the last time I was awake. I wondered what you two were discussing…" Bilbo muttered. He rambled on for some time more, and Frodo sat and listened politely. Then Bilbo dozed off again, with his chin pressed hard against his chest. _That can't be very comfortable_, _I'll move him to his room, and he can sleep in a bed, _thought Frodo, and he gently woke Bilbo again.

"You can rest in a bed in your room, Uncle. It would be more comfortable, after all." suggested Frodo.

"More comfortable, yes, but then I wouldn't be able to hear the Elves, all shut up in a room like that." countered Bilbo.

"How about I open your window, so that you _could_ hear the Elves as you rest? I believe there is one in our room. Does that sound better?" Frodo asked.

"Well, I suppose so, as long as there's a window to open. Let's go and see, or we'll never get to find out." Bilbo agreed.

The two hobbits trudged off to their quarters, Bilbo leaning on his old cane, Frodo with the sure step of the young. There were few rooms, since the Elves preferred to stay outside under the stars, but cabins were provided for the hobbits and Gandalf.

The hobbits' room was small but cozy, with a large round window looking out on the main deck where the Elves spent their time. The ceiling had been curved to look like Bilbo's old hole back in the Shire, and the beds were small but covered in warm blankets and quilts. There was a small desk (the Elves had apparently taken notice of Bilbo's writing) and a brass candleholder in the wall above it. Frodo opened the round window wide, and flowing harmonies danced in and filled the room. Bilbo climbed under the inviting covers of the bed nearest the window and almost immediately fell asleep. Frodo stood at the window for a while more, staring out at the beauty of the world around him. The blue Elvish lights gave a magical touch to the scene, and the masts looked like the trees of a small forest. The sea rolled over and over itself, always in new and fascinating patterns, and the boat rocked gently with its movement like a baby's cradle. The pinpoint stars hung in the inky sky like the candle that Frodo had now lit on the wall.

Frodo turned wearily from the window and burrowed underneath the covers of his own bed. In moments he was wandering in dreamlands far away; the Shire, Lothlorien, Rivendell. No evil dreams visited him that night, nor for many nights after.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3

          Frodo awoke to the sound of rain pitter-pattering on the floor. _ Now look what I've done! I've gone and gotten poor Uncle Bilbo all wet with rain because I couldn't wake up when it started and close the window!_ he thought in distress, rising quickly from the bed and dashing to the open window. He closed it tightly and surveyed the mess. It must not have been raining for very long, since the floor was not extremely wet. _Ah well, I had better get a towel and clean it up anyways, _thought Frodo.

It was then that he noticed Bilbo was not in bed. _Oh dear! _What trouble has he gotten himself into now?_ thought Frodo, running out the door to find him. He bumped right into Gandalf. "Gandalf! I'm so sorry! What are you doing here? And where is Uncle Bilbo?" exclaimed Frodo in concern._

"Bilbo came out just a few minutes ago to inform me that he had been awakened by raindrops falling on his face from the open window. Realizing that you were still in the room, I came down to close your window so that you could sleep undisturbed. I was also bringing this towel to clean up the mess." replied Gandalf, displaying a small white towel that Frodo had not noticed before. Frodo attempted to imagine Gandalf on his hands and knees wiping up the floor and failed.

"Oh, well then, just give me that towel and I'll go and do it quickly. The window is closed now, and so I'll just wipe up the mess and come back up in a few minutes." suggested Frodo.

Gandalf handed him the linen and started to turn away. "Oh, and hurry, breakfast is being served, and I don't believe you would want to miss that, now would you?" he laughed. Frodo scurried off down the hallway to his room, the thought of an Elvish meal lending speed to his feet.

As soon as he was finished wiping up, Frodo hurried out the door again to find Bilbo. Halfway down the hallway he realized he was still dressed only in his nightgown. Back in his room, he found a soft green tunic, which he quickly changed into. Finally, he began down the hallway a third time, this time actually making it to the other end before realizing he had left the wet towel in his room. He decided not to bother with it for now; he was hungry and could smell food on the deck.

He soon found that his nose was quite right. Under a tent that the Elves had raised on the deck he found a buffet of food of many kinds, some of which he had never seen before, but all of which looked positively delicious. There were salads, meats, desserts, breads, and fruits. It was the best meal he had eaten since Imladris. 

Frodo helped himself to a plate of food and looked about for a place to enjoy his meal. He found Bilbo and Gandalf seated side-by-side, deep in conversation and joined them on the deck. They hardly noticed him, getting merely a nod of acknowledgment from Bilbo and nothing from Gandalf to suggest they had seen him.

After he had finished his meal, Frodo interrupted his companions' discussion to propose a walk about the ship. Gandalf and Bilbo declined, so Frodo left alone. He went to the railing and walked along it, studying the endless pattern of the rise and fall of the Sea. He stood long upon the side facing West, gazing through the rain as he attempted to discern what lay beyond.

Suddenly, as he looked down at the water, he noticed something different about it. He could see sand only a few feet from the surface! That meant they were probably close to land! Frodo raced back to his companions and cried, "We're nearing land! I can see the bottom of the Sea! We're almost there!"

"Oh are we?" said Gandalf in excitement. Even as he spoke, the grey wall of rain beyond seemed to turn to glass and then peel back as if it were merely a curtain to a window beyond. A multitude of beautiful voices poured forth as if from a dam, making Frodo's heart leap with joy. And yet the greatest sight by far was what lay beyond.

The Sea stretched as far as the eye could see behind and to both sides of the Elvish ship. Ahead was a small island, lush and green. Beaches with sand the color of a swan's feather encircled the island. Upon the beach stood many fair Elves, come to greet their kindred as they finally returned to the land of their fathers. At the center of the island, nestled in a valley upon a small forested peak, sat the fair city that the Elves had built. Far away in the distance, the Pelóri Mountains reflected the morning sun with a dazzling array of yellows and reds. _Aman__! thought Frodo excitedly. It was his first glimpse of the Blessed Realm._

"Gandalf, is that island Tol Eressëa?" asked Frodo, pointing at the island.

"Yes, it is, Frodo. This island only the Elves live upon, and rarely do the Maiar come to it. I will only stay long enough to see you and Bilbo settled in, then I will go back to Aman." replied Gandalf, longing reflected in his face as he gazed at the formidable but distant mountains, a glimpse of the home he had long left behind.

Frodo felt grateful for his friend's concern. Together the two companions watched as Elvenhome drew closer, bringing into focus each tall, green tree and each white, shimmering building upon the mountain. Excitement welled inside Frodo. They were so close! Suddenly, the scrape of sand against the bottom of the boat brought their landing to Frodo's attention, and he hurried off to find Bilbo. A plank was lowered, and the Elves stepped down off the ship onto the glittering sand. Many embraced friends or family who had been left behind or who had crossed the Sea before. Gandalf stayed on the ship until Frodo appeared, supporting Bilbo as he led his uncle off the ship. Gandalf walked in front of them, his cloak thrown back, white hair and beard matching the hue of the city far above them. All turned to stare at the strange trio as they walked down the plank. The Elves' surprise was quickly replaced by welcoming kindness, however, and they helped Bilbo and Frodo on the long climb up to their city. 


End file.
